1. February: The PA cut salaries of public employees by 50% to maintain full salaries to terrorist prisoners

2. May: The EU pays the salaries of the PA's public employees - enabling the PA to continue paying salaries to terrorists

The result: New PA - EU partnership:

EU pays salaries to public employees -

PA has money to pay salaries to terrorists

EU's actions contradict recent EU statement:

"We do not support the system of Palestinian payments

to 'prisoners and martyrs'"

By Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Itamar Marcus

The EU has decided to help the PA and its leader Mahmoud Abbas to continue paying salaries to terrorists by pledging to give the PA 15 million euros to cover salaries for public employees - salaries Abbas has cut in order to keep up the PA's financial rewards to terrorists. Abbas has declared that the PA is "obligated" to continue rewarding the terrorist prisoners and families of the so-called "Martyrs" even if it will be with their "last financial resources."

Earlier this year, Israel decided to withhold from the tax money it collects on behalf of the PA an amount equaling the sum the PA pays to terrorist prisoners and released terrorist prisoners. These prisoners include mass murderers and heads of terror organizations. In response, the PA has refused to accept all the tax money, amounting to over 50% of its budget, thereby inflicting a serious financial crisis on itself.

Believing Abbas, the EU has now answered his appeal and stepped in to help pay the salaries to terrorists and murderers.

As money is fungible, the fact that the EU's donation of 15 million euros is earmarked to cover "the April salaries and pension payments of approximately 57,000 [PA] public employees," is in reality self-deception, because:

1. The PA cuts salaries of public employees to free up money to maintain full salaries to terrorist prisoners;

2. The EU gives PA money to cover salaries to public employees;

... as a result, the EU indirectly pays terrorist prisoners

Rather than condemning the PA practice of rewarding terrorist murderers, the EU is becoming a willing partner in the program, enabling the PA to continue.

This EU move is contradictory to its recent announcement that it is against payment of salaries to terrorists. EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn stated to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee of PA donor countries (AHLC) in April that the EU is against this PA practice. Hahn's statement also showed, however, that the EU - in another act of self-deception - has bought the PA allegation that Israel is responsible for the PA's current financial crisis:

Hahn: "We are all aware of the fiscal crisis the PA is facing and of the potential human, social and security consequences. Both sides need to move towards a solution.

The following is the announcement of the EU's donation in the official PA daily:

"The European Union (EU) donated 15 million euros to pay the April [2019] salaries and pension payments of approximately 57,000 [PA] public employees in the West Bank.

The EU explained in a statement published yesterday [May 3, 2019] that this donation, which is funded by the EU, is part of the direct financial aid to the PA through the PEGASE mechanism (i.e., an EU mechanism to facilitate direct financial aid to the PA)."